Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the presentations by the witnesses. The Road Safety Authority and the Health and Safety Authority unfortunately are probably much aligned in public commentary in that we often hear that they are overdoing it, killing off activities or that the cost involved is too much, but the facts speak for themselves in terms of road safety and the number of fatalities on our roads are reducing. It is refreshing to know that it does not come down to arbitrary policies where people decide to do something and that they do it for a reason. It is a refreshing testimony that if there is a reason the Road Safety Authority or the Health and Safety Authority is involved, it is a genuine one and is not something somebody dreamt in a back office. It is refreshing there is a reason for it.

With regard to the Health and Safety Authority in terms of tractor accidents, Mr. O'Halloran said that 47% of fatalities take place among 6% of the workforce. I had the tragic and heartbreaking experience last Saturday of attending the funeral mass in Skibbereen of a 14 year old boy who lost his life in an accident. In such accidents an inquest or investigation takes place. It would surely be part of that investigation that the vehicle would be or should be tested or examined to determine if there were deficiencies in it. Is there information on all the workplace accidents involving agricultural machinery, which the witness mentioned, where defects were found? That is what we are talking about here. Accidents will take place in farmyards and that will probably be the case as long as we have farmyards. We are talking about the condition of the machinery. Are there figures in that respect?